Chapter 6

In the days that followed, Aleron came to her chamber each morning and examined her injuries himself.

Once he had assured himself that she still drew breath and remained among the living, he would depart without offering a single word of comfort or inquiry.

One afternoon, Verde came unexpectedly for a visit.

“Are you feeling somewhat recovered, dear sister?” Her smile was gentle, almost affectionate, as she approached Snow’s bedside and offered her assistance in rising. “I requested His Majesty’s permission to come and see you.”

Snow regarded her warily. “What is it that you truly wish to accomplish?”

“How could you speak so cruelly to me?” Verde teared up sorrowfully. “It is only natural that I should concern myself with the welfare of my own sister.”

At that moment, Aleron emerged.

With a suddenness that seemed almost too deliberate, Verde sank gracefully to the floor, and tears immediately filled her eyes.

“Your Majesty, the token you entrusted to me is gone! The very token you gave me when you promised that I should one day become your wife…”

Snow felt her heart rise into her throat.

“What has happened?” Aleron frowned.

“I have seen no one but Snow today.” She turned her gaze toward Snow. The meaning behind her words was impossible to ignore. “Unless she was the one who took it, there’s no one else who could have had the opportunity.”

Snow’s expression changed at once. “I did not do it.”

Yet her words carried little weight, for moments later the servants returned with the missing token. It had been discovered beneath her pillow. It had been broken into pieces.

“How could you, Snow?!” Verde’s tears fell more freely. “You know perfectly well how much this token means to me. Are you so envious that I was once betrothed to His Majesty? Is that why you have committed such an act?”

Aleron’s gaze moved slowly between the two women before finally resting upon Snow. “Did you do this?”

Snow lowered herself into a curtsy and said calmly, “I know my place, Your Majesty. I have never desired that which could never belong to me. I beg you to investigate this matter further before judgment is passed.”

For the briefest moment, an unreadable emotion crossed Aleron’s face. It appeared that he wished to say something.

But before he could speak, the two servants stepped forward.

“I witnessed Miss Snow destroy the token,” said one of them.

“She even declared that she wished Lady Verde dead,” said the other.

The instant those final words were spoken, Aleron’s expression hardened. “So this is what you mean by not desiring that which can never be yours? Have I shown you such kindness that you have forgotten your own position?

“Take her away. Have her whipped.”

Snow was bound to the post and whipped. The pain soon overwhelmed her senses, and her vision grew dim. Yet she refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing her cry. She bit down upon her lip until it nearly bled, enduring every moment in silence.

With each stroke, Aleron’s cold and merciless voice came from a distance.

“Apologize.”

But each time, Snow answered with the same quiet defiance, “I refuse.”

A darker shadow settled over Aleron’s expression. At last, he turned away. “Whip her until she apologizes!”

After twenty strokes, Snow’s back was marked with angry welts and crimson stains.

Verde approached her then. She drew close and whispered haughtily, “Do you see now? Even after I am married to another, he only cares only for me.

“Why else do you think he has refused to marry all these years? Why else would he insist upon ending your child’s life?

“Even if he shares his bed with you, it’s only because you resemble me.”

She sneered. “If you dare to dream of something that was never yours again, I shall ensure that your end is a dreadful one.”

Snow’s thoughts swam beneath the weight of her pain. Yet, strangely, she did not feel anger.

Instead, a faint smile touched her lips. Verde need not trouble herself. There was no need for her to do anything at all.

Soon, Snow would leave. When she did, she would vanish so completely that no trace of her would remain.